Explore how Reid uses physical settings to represent the characters’ internal states and chart the progression of their relationship. Discuss how the narrative moves from contained, private spaces like Eric’s townhouse to more communal or natural environments like the Kingfisher and Blue Mountain.

The novel is constructed through alternating first-person perspectives. Beyond showing both sides of the story, how does this structural choice create dramatic irony and heighten the thematic tension surrounding miscommunication and vulnerability? Discuss specific instances where the reader’s knowledge surpasses that of the characters.

How do minor characters from the wider hockey world, like antagonist Dallas Kent and ally Ilya Rozanov, serve to define the boundaries of the central romance, and what do their roles reveal about the novel’s portrayal of masculinity?

How does the motif of art, from Eric’s private collection to his conversations with Kyle in galleries, shape Eric’s evolving sense of self and his understanding of intimacy and identity beyond the rink?

Common Goal is part of the growing LGBTQ+ hockey romance subgenre. How does the novel engage with, and potentially subvert, the conventions of both the sports fiction genre and the romance genre?

Kyle’s past trauma with Ian is a foundational element of his character. Analyze how this backstory informs not only his defensive mechanisms but also the specific ways he engages with Eric in their sexual relationship, particularly in relation to consent, communication, and the negotiation of agency.

Choose another symbol in the book not analyzed in this guide. What does it represent? How does its meaning evolve?

Trace the evolution of Eric and Kyle’s “no-strings-attached” arrangement. Analyze how Reid uses it to explore risk and rules.